Travis County archives get boost from NEA grant

Austin American-Statesman

December 27, 2013

AUSTIN - In the 1870s, elected officials in Travis County had to swear they'd never challenged anyone to a duel.

The county has the documents to prove it. The oaths of office, which today have been pared down to a single sentence swearing to execute duties and obey laws, are part of the treasure-trove of history in the county's archives.

The documents include land surveys, contracts, court records and virtually any other important piece of paper that Travis County has dealt with in its 173-year history. They're kept in the warehouselike room past a maze of hallways in the Travis County sheriff's office headquarters on Airport Boulevard.

The archives' no-frills, 5,000-square-foot room will soon get an upgrade, thanks to a $6,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The archives department was created in 2009 to consolidate historical documents that were previously kept in storage by various departments. Now they're in one place, with an online database.

This is the department's first grant. It will pay, in part, for a consultant to assess the facility and for some new equipment, boxes and other archiving materials, said County Archivist Christy Moilanen. The changes will make it easier to access documents, many of which have not been properly categorized, she said.

"We're excited about this grant," Moilanen said. "I think it's going to give us the push to get us to the next level."

Translator

To read this article in one of Houston's most-spoken languages, click on the button below.